The longer you use a computer, the slower it ends up running. When you buy a new computer it works to fulfill all your computing requirements. But in due course of time its performance changes, it becomes slow and you face problems and errors even while performing simple tasks. These system errors and crashes often cause you to lose important data and information. Most of the time, you can recover the lost data only if you have taken backups or have been regularly saving your work.

In most cases, it’s the way you use your computer that affects its performance. There are many possible reasons that can cause your computer to slow down. Some of these are, running multiple programs, virus or spyware infections, a fragmented hard-disk, insufficient RAM, and Windows registry errors.

How can I increase the speed of my computer?

There are several tasks that you can perform to maintain your computer and keep it running smoothly.

Clean Up Your Disk Space: You can use the Disk Cleanup tool to free up space on your computer’s hard disk and thus enhance the performance of your computer. This tool works by identifying files that you can safely delete. It then helps you select the files you want to remove. Some of the files the tool identifies are Temporary Internet files, downloaded program files, Windows temporary files and so on. The tool also gives you the option to empty the Recycle Bin, and remove optional Windows components and installed programs that are no longer in use.

Remove Fragmentation: Fragmentation of data on the hard disk brings down the overall performance of your system. On a disk full of fragmented files, your PC needs to search the entire hard disk when the file is opened to put it back together. This considerably increases the response time and thus slows down your system. The Disk Defragmenter tool consolidates these fragmented files and folders on your hard disk and stores them at a single location on the disk. This not only speeds up your disks reading and writing process, but also enhances the performance of your PC.

Registry Clean up: The Windows registry controls your operating system and the applications that run on it. Registry problems occur due to the accumulation of unwanted junk data resulting in several computer errors and frequent system freezes. To prevent these problems and to perform registry cleanup, you can opt for a self-diagnostic third-party program called Registry Cleaner. You can use a good registry cleaner tool to fix registry errors and clean up registry remnants, corrupt and temporary files.

Remove Harmful Programs: It is important to use up-to-date security software to detect and remove programs, such as virus or spyware that are harmful to your computer. These programs slow down your PC, cause unwanted and unexpected behavior, and even cause damage to your data. To prevent these problems and protect your computer, you must regularly use up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware programs.

Reduce Startup Programs: There are certain programs that Windows loads every time you boot up your system. These extra or unwanted items increase your startup time. To manage the list of startup programs, on the Start menu, select Run,type msconfig and then press Enter to open the System Configuration Utility. On the Startup tab, clear the items in the list which you don’t need and then click Apply and then OK. Finally, restart your PC to implement your changes.

Update Your Programs: For your computer to perform smoothly and be error-free, make sure you have all of your programs up to date, especially anti-virus, firewall, and all critical updates from Windows Update.

Hardware Upgrades: System upgrades, such as increasing the RAM, installing a better Graphics card, and adding a faster CPU can also considerably help increase the speed of your computer.